1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to saws, typically that type of saw having a vertically movable cutting blade such as for example a vertical bandsaw machine, jigsaw or the like, and more particularly to a feed mechanism for urging a workpiece towards the cutting blade during a cutting operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The invention is particularly suited for, although not limited to, use on a vertical bandsaw machine of generally conventional design. This type of saw has an endless cutting blade trained over vertically spaced wheels or pulleys, one of which is usually driven. The cutting blade passes vertically through an opening in a horizontable table on which is supported the workpiece to be cut.
In industrial applications where the workpieces are very heavy, feed mechanisms are sometimes employed to assist operating personnel in the task of feeding and manipulating the workpieces during a cutting operation. Such assistance is particularly necessary where the cutting operations are complex, involving intricate curved cutting lines, where resistance to forward movement of the workpiece varies over a wide range, and where it is frequently necessary to partially rotate, stop and/or reverse the movement of the workpiece in order to follow curved portions of the cutting line.
Prior attempts at providing feed mechanisms capable of operating satisfactorily under these difficult conditions have failed to adequately satisfy the demands of those skilled in the art. Accordingly, manual feeding is still widely relied upon.